Louvered vent



April 2, .1940. A, F, M NTZ 2,195,704

Lduvimsn VENT Filed Nov. 15', 1937 1 2'06 0 VJ/ m: Win r1. 57W

Patented Apr. 2, 1940 UNITED STATES LOUVERED VENT Aloysius F. Mantz,

Los Angeles, Calif.; Bertha Mantz administratrix of Aloysius F. Mantz,

deceased Application November 15, 1937, Serial No. 174,563

3 Claims.

My invention relates to a louvered vent, and has for its principal object the provision of a relatively simple, practical and inexpensive vent constructed in a single piece preferably formed from sheet metal, and which presents a neat and finished appearance when properly installed and which provides a maximum amount of ventilation and air circulation for attics, the space beneath and between floors and when located in doors, for the ventilation of clothes-closets, toilets, kitchens and the like.

A further object of my invention is, to construct a one-piece metal vent having a number of louvers arranged so as to effectively shed rain.

A further object of my invention is, to provide a louvered vent of the character referred to that may be easily and conveniently installed without the necessity of the construction of a casing, and the structure of the vent being such that it may be plastered in flush with the building wall so as to present a neat and finished appearance.

With the foregoing and other objects in view, my invention consists in certain novel features of construction and arrangements of parts that will be hereinafter more fully described and claimed and illustrated in the accompanying .drawing in which:

Fig. 1 is an elevational view of the louvered vent positioned for use in a building wall and with a portion broken away.

Fig. 2 is an enlarged horizontal section taken on the line 2-2 of Fig. 1.

Fig. 3 is a vertical section taken on the line 2-2 of Fig. 1.

As illustrated in the drawing, the vent is constructed from a single piece of suitable rustresisting sheet metal III, for instance galvanized iron, copper or zinc, and to make the galvanized iron vents doubly rust-resisting, their faces may be finished with aluminum lacquer or the like, and where plates of zinc are utilized, the same may be plated, for instance with chromium.

Obviously, the vents may be made in any desired size, but for use in the walls of buildings, the vents may be approximately 15 inches in length and 6 or '7 inches in width.

By conventional means, for instance, dies, the plate of sheet metal is pressed so as to produce adjacent its edges, a continuous rib l-l that is substantially V-sha-ped in cross section, and the upper and lower portion of this rib are parallel with the upper and lower edges of the sheet metal plate, while the ends of said rib may be substantially semi-circular, and thus the rib is generally oval in shape.

The formation of rib ll produces an outer inclined wall Ho. and an inner inclined wall llb, the latter being approximately half the width of the outer wall Ila or the distance from the mar ginal edge of plate ID to the apex of rib l I. This construction provides for maximum strength and rigidity of the louver, and by making the inner wall I lb of the rib shorter than the outer wall I la, the entire portion of the metal forming the vent that is surrounded by the rib occupies a plane approximately midway between the planes occupied by the marginal portion of the sheet I!) and the apex of rib ll.

Formed through the marginal portion of the plate are apertures l2 for the reception of nails or like fastening devices that secure the vent to the building studs or other structure in which the vent is located.

Practically the entire portion of. the sheet metal that is surrounded by rib l l is made up of longitudinally disposed louvers l3 that are formed by slitting the sheet metal lengthwise and bending the edges of the metal immediately above the slits outwardly.

I prefer to form the vent with two sets of louvers which extend from the half round ends of the rib l l to points adjacent the longitudinal center of the plate, so that a narrow vertically disposed strip ll of uncut metal is provided between the inner ends of the louvers, and this strip functions as a reinforcement for that portion of the sheet metal plate intermediate its ends and between the louvers.

Where the vent is located in the wall of a building, the ends of said vent are secured by nails or like fastening devices directly to a pair of studs S, with the upper and lower edges of the vent secured to members M that re disposed between the studs. 7

The external finish of the building wall, either stucco or siding, overlies the marginal portion of the vent outside the rib II, and thus when properly installed, the vent presents a neat and finished appearance.

To prevent the ingress of insects through the louvered vent, a section of wire screen may be arranged directly against the rear side of the vent when the same is installed.

The slots between the louvers provide for a maximum amount of ventilation and air-circulation through the vent, and the downwardly inclined or curved portions l3 of the louvers function to shed rain, snow and the like, and prevent the same from passing through the slots between the louvers.

Where the vent is located in a door or like structure, an opening or proper size is Iormed in the door and the vent is located in or directly over said opening and secured in such position.

Thus it will be seen that I have provided a louvered vent that is relatively simple in construction, inexpensive of manuiacture and very eflective in performing the functions for which it is intended.

The louvered vent is formed from a single piece of rust-resisting m'etaL-thus insuring an extended life or period of service, and the sheet of metal forming the vent is pressed and bent so as to impart thereto great strength and rigidity, and at the same time providing ample opening for the free circulation of air through the vent.

It will be understood that minor changes in the size, form and construction of the various parts of my improved louvered vent may be made and substituted for those herein shown and described, without departing from the spirit of my invention, the scope of which is set forth in the appended claims.

I claim as my invention:

1. As a new article of manufacture, a vent formed from a single piece of sheet metal, a continuous substantially oval portion of which is bent to form a reinforcing rib that projects outwardly from the outer face of the sheetof metal, that portion of the sheet of metal that is encompassed by said rib being slotted longitudinally and the material in the sheet of metal immediately above the slots therein being bent outwardly to form two sets of longitudinally disposed louvers, that portion of the metal between the inner ends of the louvers of the two sets constituting a strengthening element that connects the intermediate portions of said reinforcing rib and a layer of wall finishing material overlying that portion at the plate outside said rib and the latter defining the thickness oi the layer or finishing material so that the apex of said rib lies fiush with the outer surface of said layer of finishing material.

2. The combination with an unfinished building wall having an opening, of a vent formed from a single sheet of sheet metal, a central portion of said sheet being slotted and bent to form louvers, said sheet being tormed'to provide a raised rib surrounding said central portion and a marginal portion outside said rib, said marginal portion being secured to said building wall around the opening therein, a layer of wall finishing material overlying the marginal portion of said vent, the height of said rib defining the thickness of the layer of finishing material for said wall so as to permit the apex of said rib to lie substantially iiush with the surface of the finished wall.

3. The combination with an unfinished building wall having an opening, of a vent formed from a single sheet of sheet metal, a marginal portion of said sheet being formed to provide means for attaching the same to said building wall over the opening therein, a layer or wall finishing material overlying the marginal portion of said sheet, a continuous raised rib on said sheet separating said marginal portion from the central portion of said sheet, the outside height of said rib defining the thickness of said layer of. finishing material so as to permit the apex of said rib to lie substantially fiush with the surface 01 said finished wall, said central portion of said sheet lying on a plane intermediate that of said marginal portion and the apex of said rib, and said central portion being formed to provide louvers therethrough.

ALOYSIUS F. MANTZ. 

